LAPILLUS GROWING MEDIUM FOR CUT BULBOUS FLOWERS IN SOILLESS CULTURE

     With the aim of contributing to the improvement of bulbous cut flower production in soilless cultures, experiments were carried out on gladiolus and lily to verify the response of these species to lapillus: an alternative growth medium. Lapillus is a volcanic rock produced in several Italian regions. It is effusive magmatic material obtained through industrial calcination at high temperatures, and considered alveolar, open-cell material. Lapillus was compared to a traditional substrate with perlite and alternative ones with coconut fibre, either single or in a mixture. After characterisation in the lab, the different substrates were agronomically tested during the spring period in a closed growing system. From the results obtained, it was evident that, although this material does not offer physical and chemical characteristics superior to the other materials, the use of this culture technique with lapillus can give excellent productions for the bulbous species tested. Lapillus gave good results with gladiolus, similar to those with traditional perlite, with regards to the qualitative characteristics of the stem (fresh weight and height). Slight decrease in the qualitative characteristics of lily was observed when the lapillus was used singly, whereas it allowed us to obtain very satisfying results when used in a mixture with coconut fibre.

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